Michelle Hong

About Michelle

Michelle is the Co-Founder of Rooftop Republic Urban Farming, a social enterprise to make cities greener and more edible by transforming underutilized spaces into closed loop urban farms, reconnecting people with nature and food, and creating access to fresh, local, organic vegetables and to nature.

Their solutions include urban farm design and installations, farm and community management, transforming urban spaces in commercial buildings, schools, residences and restaurants into productive urban farms. Since their establishment in 2015, they have transformed 83,000 square feet of idling urban spaces, creating over 80 productive landscapes in Hong Kong and China.

Their clients include corporations, real estate developers, restaurants, hotels and schools. Rooftop Republic has been able to benefit local organic farmers by engaging them as instructors and urban farm maintenance farmers, increasing their revenue sources and incomes. Rooftop Republic has also established programs to benefit people from disadvantaged communities.

Michelle is also the Executive Director of Farm the City Foundation, a non-profit that aims to nurture sustainability education and inclusion through community gardening, to be the catalyst towards greater sustainability and urban resilience.

Michelle has 15+ years professional experience in global brand advertising in 4A firms. She is also a Vital Voices VV Grow 2020 Fellow, a winner of the Global Green Economic Forum Social Eco Game Changer Award 2020, and the 2023 Meaningful Business 100 – a group of 100 leaders recognised for combining profit and purpose to help achieve the UN Global Goals. She is currently pursuing an Executive MBA with The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

What Michelle hopes to gain from the VV GROW Fellowship:

Michelle is looking forward to gaining access to an international network,further developing her business skills and exploring different models of impact businesses. She hopes to connect with fellows from different cultures and industries and learn from their experiences with managementand team building, and their entrepreneurship journey. She is especially interested in connecting with other businesses that empower disadvantaged communities, as well as businesses that have transformed or reinvented traditional business models or industries into new and disruptive models.

What Michelle can offer other fellows:

Having worked in two leading financial and urban hubs of Hong Kong and Singapore, Michelle would be happy to share her insights and learnings. She can also offer her experience in marketing and communications.

Connect with Michelle on Social Media:

Website: www.rooftoprepublic.com

Facebook Page (business): www.facebook.com/RooftopRepublicUrbanFarming

Instagram (business): @rooftop_republic

Instagram (personal): @mii.shh

LinkedIn (business): https://www.linkedin.com/company/rooftop-republic-co.-ltd